A responsible declaration in certain cases may be sufficient, without waiting for the license, to start a business activity, and the deadlines for opening a business will be reduced to three months. These are some of the objectives pursued by the ambitious Simplifica 2024-2026 Plan that Carlos Mazón presented yesterday in Valencia. A plan that, according to the president, will benefit companies, citizens and the administration “with simpler regulation, fewer bureaucratic obstacles and greater accountability in public management.” In the case of the responsible declaration, for example, it will have a value above the license “so that from the first day the blind can be opened, the activity can begin and wealth can be generated.”
Next June, the Valencian Consell will approve a Decree-Law on Administrative Simplification that will affect all the entities of the Valencian Community “so that the transformation and simplification reaches everyone.” The rule contemplates, in addition to the responsible declaration, the implementation of positive administrative silence by default in all cases permitted by the State or in causes that contribute to the general interest; the single window; integrate robotic processing through AI systems or identify projects of strategic interest to enable urgent processing.
To develop this plan, at least 28 laws, 46 decrees, 6 orders and 448 current articles will be modified. For its design, civil society, businessmen, professional associations, local entities and citizens have been consulted, with whom more than 100 meetings have been held.
The president defended that he is going “to work so that the ‘come back tomorrow’ thing ends, to eliminate the fat, that administrative and bureaucratic slab that continues to suffocate citizens, companies, investors, SMEs, the self-employed and small businesses.” At the same time, he highlighted that the measures promoted “will encourage investment, make life easier for citizens and fight against the digital divide.” Regarding the budget, he specified that it will involve “zero cost”, since existing staff will “be relocated”. “I’m going to give you some news: there are plans that can be made without increasing public spending, simply by making the Administration more efficient, this is disruptive in the state of the communities.” He further added that this plan will not need to “raise taxes.”
Carlos Mazón highlighted that among the laws that will be suppressed or modified are some referring to environmental impact, port fees, territorial planning, urban planning and landscape, statutory personnel of health services, housing, tourism, leisure , trade or the implementation of renewable energy facilities. It is precisely in the case of licenses to install renewable energy plants where there is the greatest traffic jam in the Valencian administration with more than 400 projects pending approval.
The plan provides for the creation of a single point of communication between citizens and the administration in which “with a simple click” the interested party will have at their disposal all the documentation and processing of files with the administration. Thus, as an example, the citizen will be able to access their medical history, their business license or their permit to renovate the kitchen. Likewise, the digital divide will be reduced to ensure equal access by citizens to public services.
